Neboville Tennessee
                                             submitted by Janie Putman
                                             December 1, 1998

    From the stories of old timers like Squire Pike Carlton and from Post Office records, we have proof that the little community of Hooten was first known as Nebo.

    The Methodist Church located at what we later knew as Neboville was first called Mt. Nebo in 1848. When school districts were established in 1893, the school located across from the Methodist Church was also called Nebo.  This leads one to believe that the entire area, of Nebo and Hooten, was called Nebo in the beginning.  With the stores located in what we now know as Hooten, those living in the Hooten area evidently made the name change and those on the west side of the community wanted to continue with the Nebo name, hence the creation of the new post office Neboville.  This was created January 27, 1900 and Joseph L Crenshaw was the first postmaster. He also established the first store near the churches and school.

    Some of the early businesses in Nebo, other than stores, included: Dodson Keaton Mill, located on the W. H. Dodson land; The Westbrook Cotton Gin, located on what is now the Green Road; The Smith-Odom Gin located on Dozier land south of the old Trenton-Dyersburg Road; and a Pierce Gin located west of Nebo.  The Nebo Gin located on the L. C. Hall land was the last to operate there.


                                                      Neboville Stores And Businesses

*J. N. Tidrow Store - He had moved to Coleman,Texas by 1908 or before.
*J. L. Crenshaw - Merchant and postmaster - 1900
L. M. Smith - clerk - 1900
*William Davis - Merchant - 1900
*J. G. Teague - Merchant - 1900 -  built store next to the Methodist church. He had an agreement with the Methodist Church that he and those after him would pay half of the insurance for the church.  This was a land swap.  The road had been located on the west side of the church.  When the road was moved to the east side of the church, this left the big store on the west side of the church without frontage on a main road.  The church swapped land on the south side of the church for the land at the back of the church.
*Shoe Repair - Mr.Wheatley
*J. F. Bessent- Merchant - 1910
*W. P. Couch - Merchant - 1910
*John Cummins - 1900- Blacksmith
*Dossie Harrell - before 1910 built store across from the
Pate Home (later the Alf and Ruby Halliburton Home). A Millinery Shop was built on one side and his wife Ella Harrell ran it.
*Bradley and McDavid - Merchants - They bought the store owned by Teague on the west side of the road.
*L. C. Hall - Merchant - 1914 - store on west side.
*Nebo Mercantile Co. - C. P. Litton, Mger.  1916
*Eldron Pigue - bought store on west side from Hall-1924 The store burned in 1926.
*Couch Furniture Company - 1927
*Blacksmith Shop- run by Ham Crowder. This was located to the south of Jetton on road going to the Couch home.
*Mule Barn - operated by Clem Young and Buton Norman. This was located just south of the Allmon Store.
*Garage- run by Howard Skipper - it was located south of the Allmon store in front of where the Milam Home was later located
*Drug Store - R. C. Austin, druggist.  The drug store had a soda fountain with tables and the old   fashion drug store type chairs. 
*E. E. Jetton - Merchant - store on east side of road.
*Brad Allmon - Merchant - store on west side of road.
*Creamery - in south side of Jetton store run by Mrs. Audrie Baldridge.
*Beth Pigue - Beauty shop
*Garage - Wayner Perry -located where the Church of Christ Fellowship now stands in 1998. 
*Alvin Milam - Merchant- bought the E. E. Jetton store
*V. L. Gourley - Merchant -bought the Allmon store on the west side of the road.
*Gerald Morris - bought from Gourley.  The store burned and was never rebuilt.
*Mr. Gourley moved his business to the building that had been the Perry Garage.
*Cecil Norman Grocery
*Robert Wade Uselton Grocery
*J. W. Moore -bought store from Uselton
*Larry Edmiston - store where Perry Garage had been.

                                                            The Neboville Methodist Church

    The Neboville United Methodist Church has been a cornerstone for religious and social activities since early times.  Methodist circuit riders were dispatched into the area of West Tennessee in 1820.  A preacher appointed to the Forked Deer Circuit organized societies in 1825 and 1826 in
Gibson County.   Acknowledging the rapid growth of Methodism in the wilderness, the 1840 General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, meeting in Baltimore, established the Memphis Conference.  Shortly thereafter, the Neboville Methodist Church was founded.

     John Scott purchased his farm from Green B. Rutledge on May 31, 1844.  He sold the farm on September 7, 1846, stating that all the land except the acre previously deeded to the Methodist Church, was being transferred.  This was only twenty-five years after the first circuit rider was dispatched into the wilderness of West Tennessee.

     It is difficult to determine exact records of the first ministers serving the church. The first book of the Neboville Methodist Church has been lost, or possibly burned in a home fire, many years ago.  Neboville was always assigned to a circuit, and  minutes do not list the churches separately.


     Neboville was on the Yorkville Circuit, Humboldt District, in 1872 at which time Matthew M. Taylor was serving nine churches with four local preachers assisting.

     It appears that Neboville was a part of the Yorkville Circuit from 1871 through 1879 with the preachers being:

1871-1874  M. M. Taylor
1874-1875  R. A. Umstead                                      
1875-1877  Nathan Sullivan
1877-1879  W. H. Evans

     Starting in 1879-80, the Yorkville Circuit was  disbanded and the Rutherford and Kenton Circuits created.  Nebo was most likely a part of the Rutherford Circuit as we were in 1885.  The preachers of the Rutherford Circuit were:

1879-1882  B. F. Peeples                                      
1882-1883  O. P. Parker

In 1883-1884, Nebo was moved to the Mason Hall Circuit with W. T. C. Young as minister then back to the Rutherford Circuit the following year.

      Starting in 1885 the Neboville Church Books record those ministers who have served as pastor.  During that year the church was a part of the Mason Hall Circuit, then in 1886 and 1887 the church was a part of the Rutherford Circuit.  After that date the church was a part of the Newbern Circuit until 1957 when the Newbern Circuit was dissolved and Mt. Carmel, Nebo and Church Grove became a charge.  Later charge changes have been: 1973-81 Dyer-Nebo Extended Ministry, 1982-84 Nebo-Mason Hall-Mt. Carmel, 1985-94 Nebo-Mason Hall, 1995 East Dyersburg-Boose-Nebo Extended Ministry, 1996-98 East Dyersburg-Nebo Extended Ministry.

Ministers serving Nebo between 1885 and 1998 were:

1885-      Wm. T. C. Young
1886-      William A. Cook
1887-      Clayton J. Maulden
1888-1891  J.S. Renshaw
1892-      B. F. Peeples
1893-1896  R. L. Norman
1897-      Peter H. Fields
1898-1900  J.A.Moody
1901-1904  James M. Hamil
1905-      Joel B. Knight
1906-1907  W. F. Barrier
1908-1909  C. A. Coleman
1910-1913  Wilbur P. Hamilton
1914-1916  Robert M. Vaughn
1917-1919  T. F. Carson
1920-1922  Ivey M. King
1923-1925  S. B. Morrison
1926-      H. R. Harris
1927-1928  Audie E. Holt
1929-1930  Thomas Henry Davis
1931-1933  Werter Lewis Drake
1934-1938  W. B. Ralph
1939-1940  Gilbert Shaw Smith
1941-1944  Samuel B. Morrison
1945-1947  W. Chester Baker
1948-1949  E. R. Roach
1950-1952  Asher L. Mayes
1953-      R. Warner Pafford
1954-1956  Paul Clayton
1957-1958  W. Thomas Clark
1959-1962  Luther Roy Williams
1963-1964  Charles Dancy
1965-      M. L. Davis
1966-      Wayne Sheffield
1967-      Elbert B. Rains
1968-1970  Thomas W. Jowers
1971-1972  Allen D. Stanley
1973-1979  Merle D. Thomas
1980-1981  Thomas A Bullock
1982-1987  W.A. "Bill" Edwards
1988-1994  Rick C. Dye
1995-      J. Larry Riley
1995-1996  Earl C. David, Jr.
1997-1998  Earl T. Dickerson



                                                             Neboville Church of Christ
                                                 (First known as Nebo Christian Church)


     The Nebo Christian Church was organized on Saturday before the fourth Lord's Day in August of 1886.  J. C. Carlton served as secretary for the meeting, recording the business and a list of those present.  Bro. Wines was serving as moderator.  Those present were: G.G. Dunn, F. W. Biggs, N. O. Gill, R. R. Kinton, J. L. Dunn, J. K. P. Hale, M. N. Kinton, N. McManis, J. C. Carlton, Fannie Sanford, Amanda I. Kinton, Mary Gill, Mattie B. Kinton, Isa B. Carlton, Sallie E. Carlton, Josie Gill, Martha Gill, Love Gill, Sarah J. Carlton, M. L. Featherston, R. L. Jones and J. L. Jones.

     J. C. Carlton, J. L. Dunn and R. R. Kinton were chosen as elders.   G. G. Dunn, and J. K. P. Hale were chosen as Deacons.   

                                            Preachers

Bro Wines - 1886
T. E. Scott - 1887-1889
Bro. Deaton- 1891-1892
After 1892, the minutes were discontinued. It has been necessary to get as many preachers' names, as possible, from older members of  the church. Therefore few dates are available.  Those we have include:

C. P. Rolland
Fred Chunn
Willie Claud Hall
W. R. Hassell
N. B. Hardeman
I. A Dauthitt
Bill Thomason
Ralph Walker

C. P. Rolland
Fred Chunn
Willie Claud Hall
W. R. Hassell
N. B. Hardeman
I. A Dauthitt
Bill Thomason
Ralph Walker
James Arlington
Wesley Jackson
O. G. Davidson
John Stockard
John Stacy
J. E. Green
Charles Boarland
Richard England
Ed. Glover
Raymond Holder
Harrell Davidson
Robert Taylor
Curtis Dowdy
Curtis Cates





Bro. Rook
Fred Bailey
Neal Penny
R. E. Black
Lewis Brown
Logan Lewis
Norman Hogan
Bro. Bray
James Peevyhouse
Lynn Parrish - started April 4, 1982

Young men from the Nebo Church of Christ who have become ministers were Doris Parnell, Lynn Moore, and  Bro. R. D.  Parnell was the guest speaker for the Homecoming Celebration in 1990.


                                                                      Neboville School

    The first Neboville School was taught in the Methodist Church, made of logs and consisting of one room.  One of the early teachers was Charles C. Steel, probably teaching in the Methodist Church. A bill passed in the State Legislature in 1873 was the beginning of organized school districts and a better school system.  It was after this that W. L. Dozier and his wife sold the land for the Nebo School to R. A. H. McCorkle, R. A. Overall and W. L. Scott, the School Commissioners of the eight district of Gibson Co.

     In 1917 the community was working to establish a Special School District for Nebo and to get a high school.  The school officers named in the bill were B. P. Turner, L. C. Hall and A. E. Pigue.  At least three different school building have stood on the school lot in Nebo, with the last being started in October of 1924.  Some of the teachers at Nebo School have been:

Charles C. Steel - 1850
Mattie Ford  - 1895
C. F. Boone - 1895
S. F. Pizua ? 1896
Dora Taylor - 1896
M. Ford - 1896
M. F. Boone - 1896
H. E. Wilson - 1898
W. Walter Corley - 1900
Paulina Pigue - 1900
Robert Davidson
Madison Hall - 1900
Homer Higgs - 1900
Mitchell Foster - 1900
I. J. Morris - 1910
Mr. Cowen
Mrs. Jessie Smith
Mr. J.D.Smith (Hopping Jesus)
Mr. W. W. Chunn - 1911-12
Mr. McGee
Coy Thompson
Miss Rogie Owens -1904-5
Birtie Reed (Thornton)
Nannie Thornton (Hall)
Abbie Jewel House
Miss Erymme Applewhite 1916-20
Harry Pipkin 1920
Burnie Bryan - 1920
Maude DePriest - 1920
Lois Utley - music - 1920
Charlie Carlton
W. L. Terrell
Mrs. Audrie Baldridge - music
Jack Boone
Dittie Flowers
Dulcenia Hogue Fisher 1923-29
Mary Taylor Summers
Mary Horton - 1925
Miss Barton
Kleitus L. Moore 1926-27
Mrs. Kleitus Moore
Fanchon Puckett (H.S.)
Ruby Hall Halliburton 1932
Louise Lessenberry - 1932
E. David Halliburton
Martha Jones
Helen Smith -Home Ec.
Frances Wright
Jewell Patterson - 1932
Martha Wyatt
Jamie Carr Harris  1932-34
H. H. Cooper (Munson) 1934-37
Mary Baker Bradford 1935-36
Mamie Hayes 1934
Lucy Wingo 1936-37
Marie Jewell 1937-38
E. Harold Spenser 1938-39
Walton Roberts 1939-40
Fred E. Drewry 1940-42
Zula Nowell Ball 1941-42
W. E. Bailey 1942-43
L. H. Milam 1943-44
Grace Sublett 1940-42
O'dessa Harrison 1945
Allen Minton 1945-46
Doris Webb Jackson 1946-47
Obira Minton 1947-48
Mary Stewart
S. F. Lovitt
Roberta Boyd 1938-42
Blake Warren
Rubye White
Ruth Fisher
Anna Katherine Pigue
Georgie Lowrance
Dorothy McKnight
Oliver Gibbons
Mrs. Norman Hogan
Mr. F. D. Stone
Mr. Dewery Ary
Miss Katy Dunagan
Mrs.   Hill
Elaine Nash 1942
Marian Ball 1942



Return to Gibson Co. TN Homepage